Fans should not expect to see Michael Wilbon on ESPN anytime soon, as he is taking an indefinite leave from the network and its Pardon the Interruption show after his latest health update.
Wilbon took to X, formerly Twitter, to issue a statement on his indefinite leave. He immediately emphasized that this “isn't retirement,” but rather a “trip to the injured list” (though he hopes it isn't “an extended one”).
“Struggles with multiple health issues in recent months lead me to take an indefinite leave of absence from my PTI and NBA duties at ESPN and ABC,” Wilbon said. “Probably, I should have listened to medical professionals and people closest to me, yep [Tony] Kornheiser[,] included, who saw worrisome signs in recent years that suggested I take time away earlier. But I didn't.
“And as one close friend has said as my issues have become bigger, ‘the bill has come due.' The struggles are all health related, not to alcohol (I'm not swearing off the now-and-then Kier Royale) and not to gambling (those winds of change I find loathsome),” he continued.
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) November 2, 2026
He is grateful for all of his colleagues and his ability to host Pardon the Interruption for the last quarter-century. Wilbon conceded that he isn't sure “exactly how this part of my journey will wind up.” However, his “goal is to come out of it feeling much better than I do now and ready ot return to sparring with Tony [Kornheiser].”
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro also gave a statement. He is fully backing Wilbon in his upcoming leave and said that the network looks “forward to welcoming him back whenever he is ready.”
Wilbon has co-hosted Pardon the Interruption since 2001. Previously, he was a sportswriter and columnist for The Washington Post, joining the newspaper full-time in 1980 after summer internships in 1979 and 1980.